The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

meineke

It seems that whenever a tipster writes in complaining of a “bait-and-switch,” the issue they’re writing about is a genuine problem, but it’s not actually a bait-and-switch scheme. True bait-and-switch is when a company advertises something really great but nonexistent to get you in the door, and then will only sell you something else. That’s what Adam encountered when he printed out a coupon for a $19.99 oil change and tire rotation at a local Meineke shop somewhere in New York State. They refused to take his coupon, and charged him a total of $54 because the posted price conveniently didn’t include the cost of the oil filter. [More]

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